Retailers post sluggish sales figures for AprilNEW YORK – The outlook for consumer spending in the coming months dimmed yesterday after retailers, their sales hurt by rising gas prices and the slumping housing market, had one of their worst months ever in April.

Panel targets anemia drugs' warning labelsSILVER SPRING, Md. – Two months after federal regulators ordered additional warnings be added to the labels of blockbuster anemia drugs, government advisers said yesterday that Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson should be required to add more warnings and conduct additional safety studies.

BUSINESS BRIEFING30-year mortgage rates downRates on 30-year mortgages edged lower for the third week out of the past four. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.15 percent nationwide this week, down slightly from 6.16 percent last week. The low for the year was 6.14 percent in early March.

New rules planned for student aidWASHINGTON – Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, under fire for her oversight of the $85 billion-a-year student-loan industry, told a House panel she would propose new rules, including a ban on lender gifts to college officials.